Method of and apparatus for spreading fabrics



J1me 1933- J. P. REMINGTON 1,912,466

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SPREADING FABRICS Filed Sept. 25, 1951 I NVEN TOR.

JQ. ATTORNEY.

Patented June 6,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH P. REMINGTON, 0F PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR TO STOKES AND SMITH COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OE PENNSYLVANIA METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FORSPREADING FABRICS Application filed September 25, 1931. Serial No.565,091.

My invention relates to a method of and apparatus for straightening,stretching or spreading cloth, or like yielding material, to reducedeformation thereof and extend the same to substantially its normaldimensions, and specifically sheets, towels, napkins, or similararticles, particularly to prepare them for ironing by a mangle, orfiat-work ironer.

Heretofore in laundries, it has been necessary for operators to pick upthe damp pieces individually. shake them to remove wrinkles and thenpile them in stacks. The operators of the ironer remove the pieces fromthe stack, place them in succession upon the feedbelt of the ironer, andattempt to stretch or spread them sideways by hand. However, as the belttravels at high speed. these operators have insufiicient time tomaintain a continuous supply of pieces and to stretch them properly.

Further, articles, as towels, are usually fed lengthwise through theironer so that after being laundered a few times, the repeatedstretching (in one direction only) so distorts them that it isimpossible for the ironer operators to straighten them by hand duringthe feeding operation, and the preliminary steps of shaking out andstacking by other operators are necessary. Even then, unless constantdiligence is exercised, the pieces are not in proper condition forironing and these preparatory steps are responsible for a largeproportion of the cost of laundering.

In accordance with my invention, the cloth, or cloth articles, astowels, are straightened, stretched, and shaken, all in one operation toremove wrinkles and folds so as to bring or restore them to properdimensions and smoothness by one or more blasts of air, steam, or thelike, which are, more specifically, directed generally in the directionin which it is desired to stretch the articles, and transversely oftheir direction of feed in the case of pieces being fed to a flat-workironer, for example.

Further inaccordance with my invention, these operations are performedcoincidentally with the transit of the pieces through the ironer thussaving the time as well as the labor heretofore required since it isonly necessary for the machine operators to place the articles on theironer feed belt, or equivalent, without the preliminary steps ofshaking and stacking, the blast smoothing and stretching the piecesduring their travel on the feed belt. Preferably, the pieces aresubjected to successive blastsdirected against their opposite surfaces.

Further in accordance with my invention, the blast may be of hot dry airor of more or less wet steam to partially dry or to redampen thearticles, as they are being'stretched, to bring them to the propercondition for ironmg.

My invention further resides in the methods and apparatus hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

For an understanding of my invention and for an illustration of one formthereof, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 in perspective illustrates the disposition of nozzle structure atthe receiving end of the conveyor of a flat-work ironer.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of an article of wash, as a towel, having wrinklesand turned-over edges.

Fig. 3 discloses the action of air blasts upon the towel of Fig. 2 insmoothing it and restoring it to its original size.

Referring to Fig. 1, the roller or pulley 1 rotates with the shaft 2driven from or in timed relation to the ironing rolls, not shown, of aflat-work ironer. The travelling surface which conveys or feeds thecloth pieces to the ironer comprises feed-belt structure 3, which passesover the roller 1, and is shown as a single belt, although it is to beunderstood that it may consist of a series of narrow spaced belts. Theroller 4 mounted upon shaft 5 which is journaled in the side frames ofthe machine, not shown, engages the articles and presses them againstthe belt 3, within a short time after they are placed thereon by theoperator.

The freshly washed fiat-work, as towels, napkins, and the like, are sowrinkled that they must be smoothed before they come into engagementwith the ironing rolls. As the feed-belt 3 moves at a fairly rapid rate,for

shake and spread the same.

example, sixty feet per minute, it is impossible for the machineoperators to keep an uninterrupted suppl of pieces on the feed belt andalso to smoot 1 them. If the ironer operators take the time to carefullyshake and stretch the pieces, the output of the machine is seriouslcurtailed. Other 0 erators pick up the in ividual pieces and shake themto remove wrinkles in preparation for the machine operators. Since thepieces are fed in the same direction, i. e., lengthwise, through theironer, after being laundered a few times e cal y, they have beenelongated to substantial extent, the pulling action which has increasedtheir length also reducing their width, particularly near the center.For example, towels after a few launderings, are much narrower in themiddle than at the ends.

The machine operators rior to my invention picked the prepare piecesfrom the stack and placed them in turn upon the feedbelt and endeavoredto smooth them further. In view of the aforesaid high speed of the belt,however, the attempts were in general unsatisfactory. If the speed ofthe machine were slowed down to afford a longer interval of time forsmoothing, the cost of laundering was still further and substantiallyincreased.

The towel T, Fig. 2, illustrates generally the appearance of flat-workready for ironing. As indicated it may be full of wrinkles,

the edges may be turned over or under as indicated at 17, and the endsmay be far from straight.

To eliminate the preliminary steps of stacking, shaking and stretchingthe indivldual pieces, I employ blasts of air, preferably during thefeeding of the articles. For example, the nozzles 9 carried by thesupport 7 (Fig. 1) adjustable along the bar 6 extendmg parallel to andadjacent the pulley 1, dlrectd'ets of air, steam or the like, outwardlytowar the edges of the pieces, which jets agitate. the slack portion ofthe pieces proceedmg to engagement with the feed belt to The distancebetween the jets 9 is suitably less than the width of the towel T, orother article.

The blasts, as indicated, engage the slack portion of the pieceimmediately adjacent the place of its meeting with thefeed belt,

and are directed substantially at right angles to the direction of feedthough there may be a reasonable variation. However, if the departurefrom this relation is made too great, difiiculty will be experienced bythe blast turning back the leading or trailing edges of the pieces. Theair issuing from the jets causes the cloth, because of its flexibility,to ripple or shake which removes all wrinkles. Further, the blast issufiiciently strong to actually stretch the cloth cross-wise. Althoughthe jets of air from the nozzles 9 are are considerably out of shape;specifidirected only against one side of the cloth, the blasts may, ifdesired, be strong enough to straighten out edges turned back againstthe other surface because of the decided whipping action at the edgesdue to the waves or ripples in the cloth produced by the jets. Althougha single pair of powerful jets 9 may be used, it is not desirable, forthe lighter fabrics, since unless the piece is accurately centered,there is a tendency for the trailing end to cree sideways on the belt.Preferably, there ore, the blast from the jets 9 is suitably moderate,to effect removal of wrinkles and some stretching, (Fig. 3), and theblast from a second pair of jets 9' is uti lized to complete thestretching and straight ening out of edges turned back against the uppersurface of the towel.

The blast from the jets 9 may be quite strong, since the towels in thisposition are lying on the belt 3 and are disposed only slightly inadvance of the roller 4. The second pair of nozzles, 9', may be carriedby the individual supports 8 adjustable along bar 6 transversely of thefeed belt 3.

In the construction here shown the blasts of air are directed nearlyparallel to the surface of. the cloth. This has a tendency to permitentrained air drawn from below the jets to tip the-edge of the cloth andcause it to ripple or.shake. .The angle at which the jet strikes thecloth may be varied to suit conditions or double jets workingsimultaneously on both sidesof the cloth may be used.

The air blasts are capable of substantially stretching the clothcross-wise, for example, they may increase the width one-half to oneinch or more, the amount of stretching varying with different materials,force of the blasts, etc. For all practical purposes, however, it isonly necessary for the cloth to be stretched or spread sufiiciently totake out the slack in the cloth thus making all edges straight and ofthe same width. I prefer to employ properly directed air blasts for thispurpose because the pieces cannot be torn during the stretchingoperation as could readily happen if they were positively gripped bysome mechanism and all pulled out a definite amount. Further, the use ofair requires only a small amount of mechanism occupying little space andpermits facile and nice adjustment of the stretching force.

The air for the nozzles 9 is supplied from a header 12' through theflexible tubes 10 which slip over the nipples 11 in the header 12.Similarly the air from the nozzles 9 is supplied from the header 12through the individual flexible tubes 10, connected to nipples 11.

The nozzles as previously stated, are adjustable to accommodatedifferent widths of pieces, and several sets of nozzles may be used,some of which may be differently spaced from the others to accommodatethe machine for simultaneous operation upon articles of different sizes.For example, referring to Fig. 1, the two right-hand sets of nozzles, 15and 15' fed by flexible tubes 16 and 16 are set to smooth and stretchthe wide towels T, while the left-hand nozzles 9 and 9 are more closelyspaced to smooth and stretch the narrower towels t.

The valves 18 and 18 are preferabl provided in the connections from thehea ers 12 and 12 to the individual nozzles to permit regulation of theblast in accordance with the weight or size of the articles; forexample, the blast for the heavy towel T may be substantially higherthan the blast for the small towels t, handkerchiefs, etc.

The supports 13 and 13' adjustable along bars 6 and 6 carry the bafiles14 and 14' to prevent adjacent air jets operating upon different pieces,(Fig. 1), from blowing up or turning back the edge of the other towel.

In operating an ironer utilizing my pneumatic spreader, the machineoperator picks the pieces up from a mass ofedamp wash which need not bestacked nor shaken out as heretofore, and places them on the feed-belt 3at a point above the jets 9 which instantly blast out the under-turnedwrinkles in the pieces and stretch them sideways. As they travel forwardon the belt they go under the second set of jets 9 which further stretchthem and blast out any over-turned edges or wrinkles. Although thepieces lie flat on the feed-belt when subjected to the second set of airjets, the feed-belt does not interfere with the spreading since the airblasts ripple the edges, lifting them from the belt.

If the work is too dry for satisfactory ironing, sufiicient moisture maybe introduced into the air blast to dampen the work; for example, theblast may be of wet steam. On the other hand, if the work is too damp,the blast may be of hot dry air.

It is also possible to stretch the pieces after ironing but this is notgenerally satisfactory or desirable, as stronger blasts are required andthere is strong tendency for the dry pieces to resume their originalcondition as soon as the blast stops. The articles while damp haveconsiderable plasticity, are easily stretched by the blasts, and retaintheir stretched condition as the wet fabric has little elasticity. Onthe contrary, the articles when dry possess little plasticity andconsiderable elasticity.

Although the invention has been specifically described and illustratedfor preparing individual towels or the like for ironing, it can beutilized to advantage for stretching cloth or other yielding material inmore or less continuous length, such as toweling in thirtyfoot lengthscommonly used in roller towel cabinets. It is also within the scope ofthe invention to utilize the air blasts to smooth and stretch cloth forpurposes other than ironing, as for example, printing, or filling, andthe like.

For brevity in the appended claims, the term air is used in a genericsense and comprehends other gases, or vapors, for example steam, eitherwet or dry, and the term spreading is used to comprehend smoothing,stretching, removal of wrinkles, creases, overfolds or turned-overedges, and expanding to substantially normal dimensions.

What I claim is:

1. The method of stretching cloth which comprises directing blasts ofair against one face of the cloth outwardly toward opposite edgesthereof, and subsequently directing blasts of air against the other faceoutwardly toward said opposite edges.

2. An apparatus comprising conveying means including belt structure fortransporting cloth articles, and nozzle structure for directing blastsof air generally in the plane of the articles and outwardly towardopposite edges of said articles transversely of the direction of beltmovement.

3. An apparatus comprising conveying means including belt structure fortransporting cloth articles, and nozzles disposed to direct blasts ofair against said articles while being transported by said beltstructure, said nozzles being disposed to cause the blasts to move inopposite directions toward opposite edges of the articles transverselyof their direction of movement.

4. An apparatus comprising conveying means including belt structure fortransporting cloth articles, a roller for pressing said articles againstthe belt structure, and nozzle structure disposed in advance of saidroller, with respect to movement of the belt structure, to direct blastsof air outwardly towards the opposite edges of articles transversely tothe travel of said belt structure as they are advanced by said beltstructure for engagement with said roller.

5. In combination with the feed belt of a flat-work ironer fortransporting damp pieces of wash thereto, nozzle structurefor directingblasts of air against the pieces outwardly towards their oppositeedges and transversely of their movement by said belt.

6. A feeder and spreader for a fiat-work ironer comprising conveyor beltstructure for feeding the damp pieces of wash, nozzle structure fordirecting blasts of air against the pieces during travel with said beltstructure and outwardly toward their opposite edges to ripple themtransversely of their direction of travel, and means for agitating theslack portions of the pieces advancing toward said feed belt structure.

7. A feeder and spreader for a flat-work ironer comprising conveyor beltstructure for feeding parallel rows of damp pieces of wash,

nozzles, for directing blasts of air toward opposite edges of each ofsaid pieces transversely of its movement, andmeans for preventing theblast directed against the edge 5 of one piece from turning back theedge of a piece in an adjacent row.

8. A feeder and. spreader for a flat-work ironer comprising conveyorbelt structure for simultaneously feeding dam pieces of wash in side byside relation, nozz es for directing blasts of air toward opposite edgesof eac of said pieces transversely of its movement, and baflie structurebetween adjacent nozzles directing blasts on different pieces.

9. A feeder and spreader for a flat-work ironer comprising conveyor beltstructure for feeding damp pieces of wash, and nozzle structure disposedadjacent said belt structure and directing blasts toward opposite edgesof the pieces to ripple each piece while on said belt structure to whipout wrinkles and folded edges.

10. A feeder and spreader for a flat-work,

ironer comprising conveyor belt structure for feeding'damp pieces ofwash, nozzle structure disposed adjacent said belt structure anddirecting blasts toward opposite edges of the pieces to ripple eachpiece outwardly toward opposite edges transversely of the g direction ofconveyor travel to whip out wrinkles and over-fol ed edges, and meansfor removing under-folds from slack portions of the pieces as theyadvance toward said conveyor belt structure.

11. A feeder and spreader for a flat-work ironer comprising a conveyorhaving belt structure for feeding damp pieces of wash,

nozzle structure disposed above said belt structure for directing blaststoward oppo- 4 site edges of the pieces thereon and transversely of thedirection of conveyor travel, a roll at the receiving end of saidconveyor, and means adjacent said roll for agitating the glack portionsof the pieces depending thererom.

12. A feeder and spreader for a flat-work ironer comprising a conveyorhaving belt structure for feeding damp pieces of wash, nozzle structurefor directing blasts toward opposite edges of pieces on said conveyorand transversely of the conveyor travel to ripple the pieces, and nozzlestructure for directing blasts of air toward opposite edges of the slackportions of said pieces tranversely of 55 their movement toward saidbelt structure.

13. A spreader for damp pieces of cloth comprising belt structure onwhich said pieces are disposed substantially free of restraint, andnozzle structure for directing blasts of air toward opposite edges ofsaid pieces transversely of the belt travel, said blasts beingsufiiciently powerful to effect rippling of the cloth.

14. The method of spreading cloth which 05 comprises dampening thecloth, and while the cloth is damp and substantially free of restraint,directing a powerful blast toward an edge of the cloth from a zoneintermediate that edge and another edge of the cloth.

15. The method of spreading cloth which comprises dampening the cloth,and while the cloth is damp and substantially free of restraint,directing powerful blasts toward opposite edges thereof.

16. The method of spreading cloth which comprises dampening the cloth,moving the cloth while damp and substantially free of restraint along apath, and as the cloth passes through a zone alon said path, directing apowerful blast toward a side edge of the cloth to produce ripplingtransversely of the movement of the cloth along said path.

17. The method of spreading cloth which comprises dampening the cloth,moving the cloth while damp and substantially free of restraint along apath, and as the cloth passes through a zone along said path, directingblasts towards opposite edges thereof to produce rippling transverselyof the direction of movement of the cloth.

18. The method of preparing cloth articles for ironing which comprisesdampening the articles, and thereafter, and while the articles are dampand substantially free of restraint, directing powerful blastsoppositely toward opposite edges of said articles to restore them totheir normal dimensions and to remove wrinkles and folds therefrom.

19. The method of preparing cloth articles for ironing which comprisesdampening the articles, conveying them while damp toward an ironingstation, and during conveying of the articles directing powerful blaststoward opposite edges of the articles transversely of their movement tospread them to substantially their'original dimensions.

JOSEPH P. REMINGTON.

